Thursday November 14, 2013

For the following iconic bizarre dishes, beauty is in the eye (or tastebuds) of the beholder. They may not win any Instagram competitions, but they're a testament to American ingenuity and display a devotion to creativity with comfort food. These dishes exist because some visionary chefs and restaurateurs across the country were unafraid to say "YES" to more gravy, French fries, chili and anything else for the sake of inventing some messy and indulgent, but brilliantly weird foods.

The Garbage Plate, Nick Tahou Hots (Rochester, NY)Perhaps the country's most famous towering pile of food, the Garbage Plate's origin is widely attributed to Nick Tahou Hots, a Rochester institution since 1918. The base of the dish is always the diner’s choice of two sides — home fries, French fries, macaroni salad or baked beans — topped by your choice of meat — hot dog, hamburger patty, Italian sausage, or chicken tenders. Finally, the whole mixture is dressed with mustard and onions, then doused with Nick’s signature hot sauce.

Loco Moco, Eggs 'n Things(Honolulu, HI)A regional Hawaiian delight that can be found throughout the islands (Eggs 'n Things is just one noteworthy purveyor), Moco Loco is a layered dish of fried eggs, a hamburger patty, white rice, brown gravy, and sometimes Spam (ubiquitous in Hawaii) or other meats.

7 Pound Breakfast Burrito, Jack-n-Grill(Denver, CO) Not exactly your padre's grab-and-go, foil-wrapped burrito, Jack-n-Grill's 7 Pound Breakfast Burrito is every bit as intimidating as it sounds, filled with 5 lbs of potatoes, 12 eggs, 1/2 a pound of ham, onions and green chiles (fire-roasted on the premises), then topped with a mound of cheese and their signature green pork chile. The Travel Channel's Adam Richman threw in the towel while attempting to tackle this burrito beast, but if you manage to succeed, your polaroid will have a place on their wall of fame.

The Hot Hamburger, Murphy's Steak House (Bartlesville, OK)Leave your preconceived notion of a "hamburger" at the door at this Bartlesville institution dating back to 1946. The Hot Hamburger is a gut-busting tradition that layers a generous hamburger steak patty on buttered Texas toast with grilled onions (optional but only a rookie would forego them) and an ungodly amount of fries. The whole thing is smothered in glorious brown gravy.

Pastrami Cheese Fries, Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen(Portland, OR)Not all loaded fries are created equal. Many spuds become soggy under the weight of chili and a variety of other toppings. But we can totally get behind an over-sized plate of thin, crispy fries topped with a heapin' helpin of Kenny & Zuke's signature pastrami and covered with melted Swiss cheese. Something this extraordinary probably shouldn't be hiding under "Sides" on the menu.

Chili Six-Way, Blue Ash Chili (Cincinnati, OH)It's difficult to spend any amount of time in Cincinnati without stumbling face first into a plate of chili, be it 3-, 4- or 5-way. Blue Ash takes things a step further with their chili 6-way: that's their signature Cincinnati-style chili (1) on top of spaghetti (2) topped with copious amounts of shredded cheese (3), onions (4), beans (5) and the coup de grâce, fried pickled jalapeno caps (6).

The Tamale Spread, McClard's Bar-B-Q(Hot Springs, AR) A former favorite of President Clinton (before he went vegan — raise your hand if you saw that coming), McClard's signature item is the Tamale Spread, a heaping pile of food consisting of two open faced tamales covered with Fritos, beans, chopped beef barbeque, and no insignificant amount of cheese and onions. It all combines for one intense, yet strangely delightful flavor.

Tender Royale, Pepperfire (Nashville, TN)A relative newcomer to Nashville's hot chicken scene, Pepperfire does not withhold the heat when it comes to their take on the pan-fried, cayenne-crusted bird. Their most unique contribution, however, is the Tender Royale, a deep-fried grilled cheese with melted pepperjack oozing out the edges that is then topped with three sizable tongue-torching hot chicken tenders. The cayenne dusting lightly coats the bread of the grilled cheese for quite the taste sensation — fork and knife it, lest you make a bigger mess.

The Big Woody, Billy's Blue Duck BBQ (Liberal, Kansas)A Liberal local favorite for barbecue, burgers and Tex-Mex offerings, Billy's is the home of the behemoth Big Woody — a 10-inch Hebrew National hot dog that's deep-fried, wrapped in a tortilla, and smothered in chili, cheese and onions (sour cream is optional).

Thursday September 27, 2012

Some claim that they've never had a bad piece of pizza. And
though my childhood memories of roller rink concessions prevent me
from agreeing wholeheartedly with that sentiment, I'll concede that
it's difficult to make such a great food truly bad. Not only that,
but decent pizza can be found in just about any town, big or small.
But for our pizza obsessed nation, finding a "decent" pie is not
good enough. Countless blogs, forums and sites across the interwebs
are dedicated to the discovering the best new pizza parlors and
upholding the merits of the most legendary pie purveyors. Of the
latter, there are a few places held with particular reverence. Some
combination of obscurity, eccentricity, meticulousness, and
(usually) undeniable quality makes these places irresistible to
pizza pilgrims willing to wait in long lines, put up with odd hours
or venture off the beaten path for transcendent pizza. I've waited
out the line at
Frank Pepe in New Haven for ultra-thin crust tomato pies and
the white clam pizza from the coal-fired ovens. I've made the trek
to Midwood (Brooklyn), only to arrive at Di Fara
during Dominic DeMarco's naptime (when the restaurant closes for 2
hours). I waited. It was worth it. My latest pizza adventure with a
high degree of difficulty/obscurity took me to Burt's
Place in Morton Grove, a suburb northeast of Chicago.

Just a few quick words on the Burt behind Burt's
Place. That would be Burt Katz, the white-bearded
septuagenarian who has been in the Chicago pizza making racket
since the 1960's (his beard dates back almost as far). Most
notably, he started Gulliver's and
Pequod's before selling them and opening Burt's Place in
1989. Katz and his friendly wife Sharon by and large run the
kitchen and dining room with the help of a few others.

There was no line spilling out the door at Burt's Place. If you
aren't looking for it, you might not even notice it, tucked away on
a relatively quiet suburban street. There was no line because
Burt's Place is reservations only (a week in advance is suggested).
And if you think that's peculiar pizza protocol, they take it a
step further: you're supposed to place your order in advance as
well. From a practical perspective, Chicago-style pizza takes an
eternity to cook, so this merely cuts down on the customers'
waiting time. The procedures in place do add to the mystique and
slightly exclusive feel, though. This theme continued as the host
shot us an incredulous look at the door when we incorrectly guessed
the name under which the reservation was made (the guy who secured
our reservation came late). Mercifully, we got it right on the
third try, and the man allowed us to proceed into the small, dark
dining room and to our booth. The walls are covered with old
telephones, clocks, microphones and ancient radio equipment. Only 7
or 8 booths line the walls with a couple of tables in the middle
where no one sat. After a round of beers arrived, as well as a
large salad for the whole table, our pre-ordered pies arrived a
mere 10 minutes after we had been seated. After the server doled
out slices, he placed the pizza pans on the tables in the middle of
the room, where he could access them whenever he spied an empty
plate. As for the pizza, it's not quite like any other
Chicago-style pie you'll encounter. Sure, the caramelized crust
shares some similarities to that of Pequod's (which
I'm still a big fan of, for the record), perfectly browned around
the edges and medium-thick. But it's less buttery than your average
pan pizza, and it retains its delightful spongy texture, unlike
some Chicago-style pies which collapse under the weight of toppings
piled high. They also don't cover their pies with layers and layers
of cheese. In fact, there might have been more sauce than cheese on
any given slice - no complaints here: I'm a sauce guy. Toppings
were also top-notch, from pepperoni and fresh cut vegetables to
their superior sausage. Perhaps the best part: this hefty
Chicago-style pizza did not result in a food coma or regret. Though
certainly a hearty meal, the members of my dining party and I did
not leave feeling like we required a nap or wouldn't be able to eat
for days. This is a testament to their superior ingredients and
light touch with the butter and cheese.

Needless to say, there are plenty of great pizza joints in and
around Chicago. You might find a pie you like as well or better
than the ones you'll find at Burt's Place. And if you want to watch
a Blackhawks or Bears game while sharing pitchers and pizzas with a
large, rowdy group of friends, Burt's is not your place. But for a
pizza pilgrim, it's well-worth at least one trip for the slightly
bizarre but nonetheless delicious experience.

There can be only one: Chicagoland burger enthusiasts were
baffled by erroneous internet rumors that Kuma's
Corner would open a second location in the Woodfield Mall
in Schaumberg, reports
Serious Eats.

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Tuesday May 1, 2012

Restaurant
magazine has announced its annual list of The World's 50 Best
Restaurants. Taking top honors again is Noma of
Copenhagen. The US doesn't possess a restaurant in the top five,
but it does boast the most restaurants on the list with 8 total.
They include …

Not a lot of burger bars, doner kebab stalls or barbecue joints
on this list, but who are we to argue with "the opinions and
experiences of over 800 international restaurant industry experts."
For the complete rundown, follow the link.

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